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M.M. Blunt

M.M. Blunt

Federal (USA)

Captain

Matthew Marsh Blunt

(1830 - 1907)

Home State: New York

Education: US Military Academy, West Point, NY, Class of 1853;Class Rank: 8th

Command Billet: Commanding Battalion

Branch of Service: Infantry

Unit: 12th United States Infantry, First Battalion

 

see his Battle Report

Before Antietam

He graduated from West Point in July 1853 and was brevetted 2nd Lieutenant, 1st United States Artillery. He was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant, 2nd US Artillery on 30 September 1853 and promoted to First Lieutenant in March 1855. He taught mathematics at West Point 1855-59 and was promoted to Captain, 12th US Infantry on 14 May 1861.

On the Campaign

...Camp at Tenallytown was broken on the 9th [of September, 1862], and the battalions, commanded respectively by Captains Blunt and Anderson, advanced through Rockville to Frederick, thence to Middletown, where bivouac was made on the 14th. Crossed South Mountain, 15th, to Porterstown, forming part of the advance. There was some harmless artillery fire in the evening.

During the first part of the 16th the enemy's artillery was somewhat annoying. At 5 P. M. the 1st Battalion was ordered to relieve the 4th Infantry in guarding the Antietam Creek bridge. This position was held until about noon of the 17th, when a force of cavalry and horse artillery was crossed. This drew a heavy fire from the enemy's artillery. The fire of sharpshooters being annoying to Tidball's battery, a skirmish line was thrown out under Captain Frederick Winthrop, which soon drove them back. Shortly after, the battalion was advanced in support of the battery. About 7 P. M. orders were received to [re]join the brigade [on the East bank of the Antietam].

The loss was 1 killed, and 3 wounded. The 2d Battalion was held in reserve during the entire action, and suffered no loss. General Alfred Pleasanton, commanding the cavalry division, spoke in high terms of the services rendered by the regular battalions in supporting his horse artillery.
1

The rest of the War

He was cited by three brevets for gallantry at the battles of Malvern Hill (Major), Fredericksburg (Lieutenant Colonel), and Petersburg (Colonel) during the war.

After the War

He was promoted to Major, 7th US Infantry on 30 July 1865 and transferred to the 14th Infantry on 15 March 1869. He was Commanding Officer at Fort Laramie (WY) April - June 1874, and was appointed Lieutenant Colonel of the 25th US Infantry on 7 Oct 1874 He was promoted to Colonel of the 16th US Infantry on 3 July 1883 and retired from Army service on 13 August 1894.

References & notes

Service details above from Heitman2 and Cullum.3 His picture from a photograph in the MOLLUS Massachusetts Collection.4 His gravesite is on Findagrave.

Birth

08/30/1830; New York City, NY

Death

05/14/1907; Brooklyn, NY; burial in United States Military Academy Post Cemetery, West Point, NY

Notes

1   Abbot, Charles W., Jr., and Theo F Rodenbough and William L. Haskin, eds., The Twelth Regiment of Infantry, Historical Sketches Of Staff And Line, New York City: Maynard, Merrill, & Co., 1896  [AotW citation 850]

2   Heitman, Francis Bernard, Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army 1789-1903, 2 volumes, Washington DC: US Government Printing Office, 1903  [AotW citation 851]

3   Cullum, George Washington, Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the US Military Academy, 2nd Edition, 3 vols., New York: D. Van Nostrand, 1868-79, Vol. II, pp. 526-527  [AotW citation 29154]

4   US Army, Heritage and Education Center (USAHEC), Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS)-Massachusetts Photograph Collection, Published 2009, <https://arena.usahec.org/web/arena>, Source page: Vol. 109, pg. 5607  [AotW citation 29155]